If you’ve listened to the soundtrack from “Woodstock” you’ll have heard the haunting “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” sung by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. That song was written by Stephen Stills for Judy Collins, whose memoir makes fascinating reading. Now aged 70, she chronicles the history of folk music through the 1960′s and the social upheaval that accompanied it. Many of the songs and singers are achingly familiar. As I read lyrics I found the tunes playing in my head.
Like her singing, Judy’s writing conveys the emotions of the times – the Civil Rights movement and the assassination of JFK. She also tells, matter-of-factly, of the personal costs of building her career: “I knew I would have to leave again, that I had to go where the work was. I still get paid for the travel and for the heartache of being apart from my loved ones. The music is free.” This is a well-written glimpse of those heady times.
“The music runs through all those years
recording happiness and tears.”
This sounds like an interesting book and I’m sure would be a stirring read for me too. I’ll look out for it. Thanks, Ruth.